Tomato chilli jam

"it seems silly to call it jam if you can’t put it on toast." Orgasmic Chef

This is part two of my lucky dip - the recipe - well a part of the recipe - and really the main part of the recipe which was for pork cutlets with tomato chilli jam. The pork cutlets (chops) are pretty much plain - they just have some garlic rubbed in them and they are then barbecued. Not that I'm knocking plain and simple. Plain and simple is often best and something as simple as rubbing in garlic can make a huge difference.

And as an aside, because I shall be looking at words a bit in this post - cutlets - why say cutlet rather than chop? What's the difference? Technically apparently, "Cutlets come from the best end of neck joint. They have an eye of meat with a short bone on one side and a long one on the other. They are smaller than chops". Mind you I also saw a definition that said that chops had more bone - cutlets have none or just the rib bone. Personally I think it's just a snob thing. Cutlets sound classier than chops. And to prove it here is the picture of my lucky dip recipe (cutlets):

These are pretty large, and they have quite a bone. I would not think they are from the neck - more the rib. Anyway who cares really?

The main focus of this post though is the tomato chilli jam which is just served on the side to spice it up. Which is interesting, because they could have been smothered in the chilli jam before cooking - or halfway through.

I'm interested in the tomato chilli jam too, partly because it's the sort of thing that can be made and packaged up as a gift - as in the picture at the top of this post. So highly suitable for a book about Christmas and which features home-made foodie gifts here and there. And also for the time of year that this is.

Here is the Women's Weekly recipe for the jam:

TOMATO CHILLI JAM

2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon each cumin seeds and mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 cm piece fresh ginger (5g) grated finely, 4 cloves garlic, chopped finely, 5 fresh long red chillies, seeded, sliced thinly, 1 stalk lemon grass, trimmed, chopped finely, 1kg ripe plum tomatoes, chopped coarsely, 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar, 1/3 cup (80ml) white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon fish sauce

Heat oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat; add seeds, turmeric and ginger. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add garlic, chilli and lemon grass; cook stirring, until the garlic begins to colour. Add remaining ingredients; bring to the boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours or until the jam has thickened. Pour into a hot sterilised jar; seal while hot. Cool. Refrigerate.

Pretty simple though a bit tedious in that you seem to need to stir it on and off for two hours. I wouldn't have thought it would take that long.

Some of the myriad of recipes I found out there are simpler, some more complicated. One required you to roast the tomatoes first. And do you peel them or not? Ripe tomatoes are really what you need, though I also saw one recipe that used green tomatoes - for those with a flourishing vegetable garden and a glut at the end of the season. Beverley Sutherland Smith also suggested adding a bit of tomato paste if your tomatoes were not quite as ripe as they should be. Take a look at the net. Experiment.

tomato chillli jam 2

tomato chilli jam

tomato chilli jam 3

tomato chilli jam 5

"All you really need is sugar, chillies (obviously), vinegar and a source of pectin, which makes jam set. Learn to combine these four, then you can start adding bells and whistles." Phil Daoust

He is talking about chilli jam in general and most of those used apples for the pectin. Tomato chilli jam is a variant on chilli jam - which seems to be a Thai thing - well maybe.

And why is it called jam? Is it because the aim is to get it to set? It's not, after all a jam in the usual sense of the word is it, as the header quote says? Indeed what is the difference between jam, relish, conserve, marmalade, chutney, ketchup, sauce even salsa (though I think those are generally fresh). I saw several articles that compared tomato chilli jam to tomato ketchup, implying that they were one and the same thing really. Is tomato chilli jam really a chutney? Is it just that savoury jams are fashionable? Proseletised by the likes of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall?

"I make tangy, spicy chutneys every year, but with so many vegetables having their own inherent sweetness, it seems a shame not to harness it in sweet preserves, too. By that I mean something not so much for the cheeseboard or cold meat spread – more for the breakfast toast or teatime scone." Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

And I have to say the article that he wrote had a whole host of really interesting and tempting ideas, including one for zucchini and one for a tomato chilli jam. So maybe this is what I should be doing for Christmas gifts for my adventurous cooking children. And I also found a really interesting selection of savoury jams here, although when I clicked to find the recipe for the strawberry and chipotle jam I couldn't find it - right website but couldn't find the recipe. Normally I would scoff at something like that but having had that delicious and spicy strawberry relish with grilled haloumi recently I wouldn't be so sure. It might be amazing.

So what to do with your tomato chilli jam besides serving it with pork chops - or sausages, or anything else you have barbecued or fried? The Australian Women's Weekly suggests "as a condiment in sandwiches, to pep up stir fries or as a glaze for chicken, fish or lamb fillets or skewers. But I also saw that you could basically add it as a flavouring to anything, from soups to pizza. Maybe it's best use though is as a partner to cheese and antipasti. Not sure about on toast for breakfast though.

In her section on tomatoes in The Seasonal Kitchen, Beverley Sutherland Smith gives several spicy tomato sauce/relish kind of recipes. I have made two of them and loved this one. It's called Questa. It has all the same things as in other tomato chilli Jams, so I'm including it in this post. Maybe the sultanas make it a chutney? The flour is probably a bit of a cheat - but it works. She suggests "using it mixed with some mayonnaise as a dip, serve with meats, add a spoonful to a meatloaf or spread over meat near to the finish of cooking to give a spicy flavour."

SPICY QUESTA

1.5kg tomatoes, peeled, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup sultanas, 1 piece fresh ginger, 2.5cm, finely shredded, 6 cloves garlic roughly chopped, 3 hot chillies, roughly chopped (more if you wish), 1 tablespoon salt, 1 1/4 cups white vinegar, 1 tablespoon plain flour

Cut the tomatoes into rough pipes and place into a large saucepan with the sugar, sultanas, ginger, garlic, chilli, salt and 1 cup vinegar. Bring slowly to a boil and cook for about 30 minutes or until fairly thick. Mix the flour with the remaining veneer, ad to the pan and stir so it thickens it. Cook a couple of minutes and then spoon into sterilised bottles, sealing with non-metal lids.

It will keep for a year.

Alas I am not really allowed to use chilli in my household. My husband doesn't like it. But for something like all of these savoury jams it's alright because he doesn't have to eat it. Well unless I've plastered it over some roast meat. Then he would notice it. I bet I could slip a little into other things though.